Light heavyweight contender Johnny Walker asked his fans who they want him to fight next, one name that kept popping up was Khalil Rountree Jr.
Walker defeated Rountree Jr back in 2018 with a devastating first-round knockout in his UFC debut, but ‘The War Horse’ is a completely different beast in 2024 and the fans want to see the rematch.
Other names being touted as a potential opponent for Walker in 2024 included Jan Blachowicz, Marcin Prachnio, Volkan Oezdemir, Alonzo Menifield and of course, ‘the doctor from the Saudi Arabia fight.’
Would a Johnny Walker vs Rountree Jr. rematch make sense?
Johnny Walker is currently ranked #7 in the light heavyweight division, with Rountree Jr ranked just one spot behind at #8.
Whilst a rematch with the 13-5 American would make sense from a Walker fan perspective, Khalil Rountree Jr should arguably have his sights firmly set on those above the Brazilian in the rankings.
Rountree is riding a five-fight win streak, which includes impressive KO victories over Modestas Bukauskas, Chris Daukaus, and in his most recent bout from December 2023, former title challenger Anthony Smith.
Out of the other four names that repeatedly popped up in the comments section of Walker’s Twitter community post, three do not have their next fight currently scheduled: Blachowicz, Prachnio, and Oezdemir, whilst Menifield faces Carlos Ulberg in March.
- Jan Blachowicz – Ranked #4, lost last fight vs Pereira, no next opponent
- Marcin Prachnio – Unranked, won last fight vs Devin Clark, no next opponent
- Volkan Oezdemir – #9, won last fight vs Guskov, no next opponent
- Alonzo Menifield – #12, four-fight win streak, faces Carlos Ulberg on March 30
Walker on his KO loss to Magomed Ankalaev
Walker is himself coming off a devastating KO loss to surging contender Magomed Ankalaev, which took place just a few weeks ago in January 2024.
Reacting to the defeat on social media, Walker joked “I’m good, just a little scratch on my nose,” before adding “I’m going to watch my fight and see what mistakes I did later on…It is what it is.”
“We fight the best in the world. I’m one of the best in the world and I’m going to face the best in the world. It could be me, could be him. So he had a better night than me, and congratulations to him, Magomed Ankalaev.”
Walker “hopes” Ankalaev can win the light heavyweight title this year, whilst he is “going to keep grinding, keep going forward, and keep going upwards.”